


No place like home for the holidays

by stjarna



Series: 25 Days Christmas Romance Challenge and AoS Advent 2017 [15]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: 25 Days of Christmas Prompt Challenge, All mistakes are my own, Christmas, Christmas Music, F/M, Fluff, Neighbors meet cute, unbetaed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-23
Updated: 2017-12-23
Packaged: 2019-02-18 22:40:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13109982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stjarna/pseuds/stjarna
Summary: From the25 Days of Christmas Romance ChallengePrompt: Character A doesn’t feel the Christmas spirit but Character B, who lives above them, keeps playing Christmas carols really loud.OTP: Fitzsimmons





	No place like home for the holidays

_Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays,_ echoed Karen Carpenter’s voice from above into Fitz’s living room.

Fitz dropped his head back, rolling his eyes and glaring in agitation at the ceiling. “Oh, for fucks sake!”

He’d only moved into the flat three days ago, most his boxes still unpacked. Maybe moving across the Atlantic a week before Christmas wasn’t the most brilliant idea he’d ever had, but Stark’s offer had been too good. So good, even his mum had urged him to take it even if it meant spending the holidays without her.

No. Not just without her. Without her in a new city, new country, new continent.

He wasn’t a mama’s boy, except he kinda was. She was the only family he had, and now he felt both guilty for leaving her alone and incredibly lonely in unfamiliar surroundings. They’d always celebrated together, when he was at uni, when he worked in Edinburgh, when he worked in London. Christmas was their most treasured time together. And now he was here and his upstairs neighbor from hell, whom he had yet to meet and who’d blared Christmas music every day since Fitz had moved in decided to send the worst possible reminder that Fitz would spend the holidays anywhere but home.

_If you want to be happy in a million ways, for the holidays - you can’t beat home, sweet home…_

Fitz growled, pushing himself to standing and staring at the ceiling again.

_I met a man who lives in Tennessee, and he was headin’ for Pennsylvania and some homemade pumpkin pie…_

He exhaled sharply and headed for the front door, swinging it open and grabbing his keys in passing. It fell into its lock behind him with a loud bang.

_From Atlantic to Pacific. Gee, the traffic is terrific._

Fitz sprinted up the stairs. “Oh, I’ll give you terrific,” he grunted through his teeth, knocking angrily at the door.

He placed his hands on his hips, his chest heaving with fury.

_Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays, ‘cause no matter how far away you roam…_

“Bloody key change.” Fitz rolled his eyes as the song neared its grand annoying finale.

He heard footsteps and drew in an angry breath, ready to give his neighbor a piece of his mind.

The door opened and Fitz froze. She was about his age, forcing a friendly smile that nonetheless never reached her puffy and tear-rimmed eyes.

“Yes,” she asked, a hint of a sad tremor in her voice.

 _For the ho--li--days you can’t beat home, sweeeeet hoooooome,_ the song ended, and her face distorted.

She bit her lower lip as tears jumped off her lashes. She quickly wiped away with the heel of her hand. She drew in a shaky breath, looking back at Fitz and trying in vain to smile.

“How can I help you?” she asked breathlessly.

Fitz stared at her, his lips slightly parted and his eyes wide and confused.

“You’re alone for the holidays, too, aren’t you?” he mumbled quietly.

The corners of her mouth turned down, fighting a new wave of tears.

“That’s why you’re playing those bloody Christmas songs all day long,” Fitz muttered to himself more than to her, but it nonetheless caused her to cover her mouth as her body was shaken with quiet sobs.

“You’re trying to get in the spirit,” Fitz concluded.

She nodded, shrugging apologetically. “It’s going splendidly as you can see,” she said, a sound between a sob and a chuckle escaping her lips.

Fitz gazed into her whiskey-brown, watery eyes. He couldn’t quite tell what compelled him to do it, but suddenly he wrapped his arms around his upstairs neighbor, pulling her into a tight, comforting hug. Her arms snaked around his waist and he could feel her body shake with more tears, his shirt being soaked by her tears.

He stroked her hair with one hand. “I’m Fitz,” he whispered.

Her arms around his waist tightened. “I’m Jemma,” she breathed against his neck, and Fitz knew in that moment that he wouldn’t be spending Christmas alone after all.

**Author's Note:**

> (There's no place like) Home for the holidays by the Carpenters is actually one of my favorite Christmas songs :)


End file.
